The Conversation

Where the wild things thrive: Finding and protecting nature’s climate change safe havens

Written by Toni Lyn Morelli, Adjunct Full Professor of Environmental Conservation, UMass Amherst; U.S. Geological Survey

Much wildlife relies on cool streams and lush meadows in the Sierra Nevada.Ron and Patty Thomas/E+ via Getty Images

The idea began in California’s Sierra Nevada, a towering spine of rock and ice where rising temperatures and the decline of snowpack are transforming ecosystems, sometimes with catastrophic consequences for wildlife.

The...

Billionaires with $1 salaries – and other legal tax dodges the ultrawealthy use to keep their riches

Written by Ray Madoff, Professor of Law, Boston College

Who pays the most taxes?Javier Zayas Photography/Moment via Getty Images

Ray Madoff, a Boston College law professor, has written a new book: “The Second Estate: How the Tax Code Made an American Aristocracy.” She recently spoke to Kara Miller, host of the podcast “It Turns Out,” about how the American tax system has changed...

Unpaid caregiving work can feel small and personal, but that doesn’t take away its ethical value

Written by Jen Zamzow, Instructor, University of California, Los Angeles; Concordia University Irvine

Work and family are both central to many people's sense of identity and how they hope to make a difference. Kobus Louw/E+ via Getty Images

As child care costs outpace wages, more families are facing difficult decisions about whether to scale back work in order to care for loved ones. Caregiving remains the top reason women ages 25-54 leave the...

The US already faces a health care workforce shortage – immigration policy could make it worse

Written by Bedassa Tadesse, Professor of Economics, University of Minnesota Duluth

As Americans gather for holiday celebrations, many will quietly thank the health care workers who keep their families and friends well: the ICU nurse who stabilized a grandparent, the doctor who adjusted a tricky prescription, the home health aide who ensures an aging relative can bathe and eat safely.

Far fewer may notice how many of these profess...

America faced domestic fascists before and buried that history

Written by Arlene Stein, Distinguished Professor of Sociology, Rutgers University

Fritz Kuhn, center, is congratulated by fellow officers of the German American Bund in New York on Sept. 3, 1938.AP Photo

Masked officers conduct immigration raids. National Guard troops patrol American cities, and protesters decry their presence as a “fascist takeover.” White supremacists openly proclaim racist and antisemitic views.

Is...

Supreme Court case about ‘crisis pregnancy centers’ highlights debate over truthful advertising standards

Written by Carly Thomsen, Associate Professor of English and Creative Writing, Rice University

The latest Supreme Court case related to abortion is not technically about the legal right to have one. When the court heard oral arguments on Dec. 2, 2025, the word “abortion” came up only three times. The first instance was more than an hour into the 82-minute hearing.

Instead, First Choice Women’s Resource Centers Inc. v....

Rising electricity prices and an aging grid challenge the nation as data centers demand more power

Written by Barbara Kates-Garnick, Professor of Practice in Energy Policy, The Fletcher School, Tufts University

Energy prices are going up – still.zpagistock/Moment via Getty Images

Everyone – politicians and the public – is talking about energy costs. In particular, they’re talking about data centers that drive artificial intelligence systems and their increasing energy demand, electricity costs and strain on the nation’s alread...

Shaping the conversation means offering context to extreme ideas, not just a platform

Written by Graham Bodie, Professor of Media and Communication, University of Mississippi

Tucker Carlson triggered outrage in some quarters of the conservative movement by interviewing white supremacist Nick Fuentes.J. Scott Applewhite/AP

The Oct. 27, 2025, interview between former Fox News host Tucker Carlson and political streamer Nick Fuentes created a rare public divide inside the MAGA movement.

Critics say Carlson gave Fuentes a...

The #iwasfifteen hashtag and ongoing Epstein coverage show how traffickers exploit the vulnerabilities of teens and tweens

Written by Anne P. DePrince, Professor of Psychology, University of Denver

Marina Lacerda was among the alleged victims of convicted sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein who spoke at a news conference outside the U.S. Capitol on Sept. 3, 2025.Andrew Harnik/Getty Images News

The release of information about the powerful cadre of men associated with convicted sex offender and accused sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein – known...

Hacked phones and Wi-Fi surveillance have replaced Cold War spies and radio waves in the delusions of people with schizophrenia

Written by Alaina Vandervoort Burns, Assistant Clinical Professor of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles

Everyday tech of modern life can take on sinister dimensions for people with thought disorders.Busà Photography/Moment via Getty Images

A young woman starts to become suspicious of her cellphone. She notices it listing Wi-Fi networks she does not recognize, and the photos on her contact cards seem to mysteriously change at random times. One...